The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-07-13
MOI NTAiN ROBBERS.
YIeir Bloody Dccds--TravcIcrs Who Have
Disappeared.

Disappeared.
IA PutuNm county, Tennessee, before
the war, for sCvcnty-iivc years, road
within three miles of Cookevilc, leading
from Louisville, Kentucky, through
down into Georgia and South Carolina,
was known aS the Kentucky stock road,
and was at that time the principal high
way for traders between the two sections.
Planters, slave dealers and stock men
would drive their negroes, mules, etc,
down to the southern market, returning
with the money from their sale
Such particles were frequently missing
very mystcrously, no trace of them ever
being found The road ran through a
wild, thimly settled mountain country.
The stopping places, or dwellings, where
traveller could get shelter, frequently
were thirty or forty miles apart, and as
recent Investigations show, were kept by
robbers and murdcrers of the worst de
scription, who for years followed this
business of wholesale robbery and muir
der. About thirty years ago man, who
is now Il citizen of Cooke, found Il skclc-
ton at the entrance to II cave, but no fur
thcr investigation was over made until
couple of years ago, and it was left for
II stranger 10 make discoveries that east
in the shade all stories of like dcscrip-
ton, where the writer finds his terrible
characters only in his own brain.
y party was organized under the lead
Ership of MIR. Fcrd Kincaid to explore
the cave where the skeleton was found
thirty years ago. Back on the mountain
side about Onc-half Il milo from one of
the notorious stopping places described,
the entrance to the cave was formed. 4
hole, something like well, going
straight down thirtytivc feet, was first
passed through, and then the cave opens
INTO large cavCrnS, with downward
course under the mountain. At the bot
tom of the shaft the party found human
bones, and with little digging III the
debris that had accumulated mt this
point, mcarthcd about sixty skeletons
of men who have bccu murdered and
thrown down this hole. Some skulls
were found with bullet holes through
them, others being mashed with an axe
or instrument Of that Kind.
Old citizens now living in this vicinity
say that the keepers of these dens would
keep track OF the travellers when they
passed through with stock, and on their
return they would be almost certain to
disappear. The robbers were even 80
bold they would take tho clothing and
saddles and horses of their victims and
use them publicly They would get a
man drunk, if possible, and as whiskoy
was plentiful and the custom of drinking
common, it was no hard matter to do,
then in their drunken stupor kill, rob
and throw their bodies in the Dole, and
without doubt many mon, rs this fearful
disclosure proves, never returned to their
homes, and anxious friends waited and
watched and wondered why they re.
turned not.
Not far off, by the side of the road
still stands house. The walls OF one
room arc stained and spotted with human
blood. Above, in the mountains, about
twenty miles, was still worse place, il
possible, than this. Another case is
there, and would, if investigated, repeat
the sickening story. The people are
| much excited over this discovery, as
| many descendants of this robber gang
ore still living all through Putnam coun.
| ty. But "dead men tell no tales" and
the history of these fearful crimes will
never be known.